Monday, January 20, 2014

Islamicate Understanding of Civilization

Our very own student, Nassef Manabilang Adiong, hadparticipated in the first-ever international congress
on civilization with a theme entitled “Past, Present, and the Future of Civilizations”
held on 17-19 January 2014 at the Wyndham Kalamış Marina hotel in Istanbul. It was organized by
the Centre for Civilization Studies of the Istanbul Medeniyet University.

He presented a
paper entitled “Islamicate Understanding of Civilization” drawing from various
perspectives from selected thinkers and practitioners. The “Islamicate”
word is a term coined by Marshall G.S. Hodgson in his 3-volume book “The
Venture of Islam: Conscience and History in a World Civilization” where he
distinguished phenomena that are entirely and properly religious (Islamic) from
those predominantly accultured ones (Islamicate) such as consumption of alcohol,
dress codes, homosexuality, freedom fighters (terrorism), etc.

He surveyed perspectives
of Ibn Khaldun’s ‘Asabiyyah’ of
Civilization, Malek Bennabi’s Equation of Civilization, Mohammad Hashim Kamali’s Middle Grounds of
Islamic Civilization (The Qur’anic Principle of Wasaṭiyyah), and Recep Şentürk’s Islam as an Open Civilization.
In addition, he also oriented the audience how the discourse on civilization
was utilized as a political tool against Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of
Civilizations” thesis by certain political elites such as Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi of Malaysia and his Islam hadhari or civilizational Islam,
Muhammad Khatami of Iran and his idea of dialogue of civilizations, and
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey and his project called Alliance of Civilizations.

International congress titled “The Past, Present and Future of Civilizations” was held.27.01.2014Our student, Nassef Manabilang Adiong, had participated in the first-ever international congress on civilization with a theme entitled “Past, Present, and the Future of Civilizations” held on 17-19 January 2014 at the Wyndham Kalamış Marina hotel in Istanbul. It was organized by the Centre for Civilization Studies of the Istanbul Medeniyet University.

He presented a paper entitled “Islamicate Understanding of Civilization” drawing from various perspectives from selected thinkers and practitioners. The “Islamicate” word is a term coined by Marshall G.S. Hodgson in his 3-volume book “The Venture of Islam: Conscience and History in a World Civilization” where he distinguished phenomena that are entirely and properly religious (Islamic) from those predominantly acculturated ones (Islamicate) such as consumption of alcohol, dress codes, homosexuality, freedom fighters (terrorism), etc.

He surveyed perspectives of Ibn Khaldun’s ‘Asabiyyah’ of Civilization, Malek Bennabi’s Equation of Civilization, Mohammad Hashim Kamali’s Middle Grounds of Islamic Civilization (The Qur’anic Principle of Wasaṭiyyah), and Recep Şentürk’s Islam as an Open Civilization. In addition, he also oriented the audience how the discourse on civilization was utilized as a political tool against Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations” thesis by certain political elites including Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia and his Islam hadhari or civilizational Islam, Muhammad Khatami of Iran and his idea of dialogue of civilizations, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey and his project called Alliance of Civilizations.